In amongst the dense jungle sits a small village. Houses are hidden in the brush and wild grass grows in the streets. The smell of burnt gunpowder lingers in the air as Jellal leans his back against a graffiti covered wall. He peeks his head out for a mere moment before dipping back behind the wall.

Gunfire sounds out leaving his ears ringing as the other side of the wall is riddled with bullet holes. He takes a deep breath as he leans his rifle against his shoulder. The weight of the gun relaxes his tense nerves as he waits for the enemy fire to cease.

He can hear shouting but he’s unable to understand what they’re saying since they’re speaking a foreign language. The moment there’s a break in the gunfire he pivots around the corner. He presses the butt of the rifle firmly against his shoulder as he ducks his head slightly, peering down the sights.

He keeps his body turned slightly as he advances at a quick walk. A small bit of movement ahead and to the right catches his eye. He hastily turns his body as he moves, jerking his rifle on target. He rapidly pulls the trigger three times in less than a second. The target is hit in the arm by the first bullet as he tries to lift his AK. The second shot drills him in the sternum. That’s closely followed by the third bullet striking him between the eyes.

Realigning his body as he moved he continues forward. He fires intermittently at a building he knows the enemy is using as cover. Ducking behind a building he reloads his magazine while keeping his back to the concrete wall.

Quietly inching along the wall he slips inside the building through the unlocked backdoor. Gunshots slam into the side of the building at the corner he used to be hiding behind. Listening carefully to the shots he locates the general area they’re being fired from.

Careful not to make a sound he creeps up to the front door and methodically turns the doorknob. When the knob is fully turned he cracks the door open just enough to keep it from latching. Timing to right before he thinks the enemy will stop to reload he slams into the door with his shoulder flinging it open.

As he steps through the doorway he fires a series of shots in the area he’d heard the enemy fire come from. One unlucky man catches a bullet with his face while the other two are unharmed. He locks onto them as they duck beneath the windowsill but he’s too late to take them down before they take cover.

Knowing they’re pinned down one of them pulls the pin on a grenade and starts counting down in his head. Without looking he lobs it over his head. Before in can make it out the window it’s shot down, falling back into their laps as it explodes.

Briefly checking how many bullets are left in his magazine he moves down the street sticking close to the buildings as he moves. A group of soldiers pop over the hill in front of him shouting as they lift their guns. Taking the initiative he fires his remaining bullets killing four of them as he bursts through a door and into an adjacent building.

As he comes through the door he slams into an enemy that had been planning to ambush him. Letting go of his rifle he wraps the assailant in a bear hug as he tackles him to the ground. As the pair roll across the floor he grabs hold of his opponent’s hand, which is holding a pistol, and forces it above their heads. Lying on their sides, he headbutts the other man while pulling his own pistol from its holster with his off hand.

Taking advantage of the space created by the headbutt he sticks his pistol in the man’s gut and pulls the trigger. As the man is in shock he shoves it under his chin, firing it upward. Blood splashes on his face as his foe falls to the ground.

Rising to his feet he keeps his pistol trained on the front door. The sound of marching drifts in as the soldiers outside surround the building. Spotting a piece of debris on the ground he bends over to pick it up without making a sound.

Throwing the chunk of concrete to the other side of the room he readies his pistol. As the debris lands, the front and back doors of the small building are kicked in simultaneously. The soldiers fire wildly at the sound employing the spray and pray method of attack.

While they’re firing at his distraction he pumps the soldiers pouring through the front door full of lead. With his pistol out of ammo and no time to reload he throws it at the last guy charging in. The pistol smacks him in the face stopping him from accurately lining up a shot as Jellal rushes him.

Lowering his body he grabs the man by his legs before lifting him off the ground and slamming him into the ground. Landing on the back of his head the man is left dazed as Jellal pulls out his combat knife. Due to being severely concussed the man is unable to stop the knife being driven into his throat.

The soldiers that came in through the back door approach the room from the opposite side. Rushing to the doorway Jellal meets the first one coming through by pushing the soldier’s gun skyward as he jams his knife into the man’s armpits.

Disregarding their ally, the other six soldiers open fire. Using the man as a meat shield he pulls out his knife and grabs the pistol in the man’s hand. Placing his knife hand on the man’s chest he pushes him gently creating a small amount of space between them. Taking advantage of the gap he kicks the standing corpse back into his allies.

While they’re busy dealing with the corpse he throws his knife into the throat of the one farthest away killing him instantly. Chasing after his knife he spins the pistol around so he can use it, firing his whole clip into the pair that has the best line of sight on him. When his gun runs out of ammo he throws it at the closest of the remaining three soldiers.

Approaching the first of the three he kicks the soldier in the knee causing it to bend backwards. Without missing a beat he grabs the man by the head and snaps his necks causing a brutal crack to ring out. Reaching out he grabs the next guy’s gun pulling him close, blocking the last enemy’s line of fire.

Drilling his elbow into the man’s gut he stuns him before hooking his elbow. Applying force to the man’s forearm he shatters his elbow causing him to drop his gun. Bypassing the injured soldier he does a diving roll forward to the last enemy.

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His arm is grazed by a bullet but he ignores it as uppercuts the soldiers arm causing his gun to point to the sky. Using his front leg he kicks the outside of the man’s knee before following it up with a kick to the inside of the knee breaking his stance.

Jellal’s right hand grabs the arm holding the gun while he uses his left elbow to smash his jaw. Keeping his momentum he pulls the man forward by the arm while sticking his hip out. Using the leverage he’s gained he flips the man, slamming him on his back.

Seeing the other soldier reaching for his pistol Jellal steps forward and kicks him in the face causing the gun to fly from his hands. Placing both his hands on the back of the man’s head he proceeds to repeatedly knee him in the face sending blood flying everywhere.

Releasing his hand’s the unconscious body falls powerlessly to the ground, landing face first. Lifting his leg high he stomps on the back of the unconscious man’s neck creating a spine tingling crunch.

The last soldier gets to his feet while reaching for his gun, which is on the ground. As he tries to lift it a foot slams on top of it breaking his fingers before sliding the pistol to the corner of the room. He rushes forward in anger throwing a three punch combination toward his opponent.

Jellal parries the combination, catching the man’s wrist on his final swing before countering with a hook to the ribs. Following that he pushes the man’s arm to his side, twisting him off balance and opening up the back of his knee for a kick.

The blow to the back of the knee causes the man to buckle. Circling around he wraps his right arm around the man’s neck. His left arm slides overtop the other behind the man’s head. His right hand locks in to his left elbow while his left hand braces his right shoulder. Hooking his legs around his opponent he begins bringing his elbows closer together, tightening the choke.

The man claws at his arms as they roll around the ground. This continues for a few seconds before the man goes limp. Pushing the unconscious body to the side Jellal got to his feet and casually picked up the pistol he kicked to the corner of the room. Walking over to each of the soldiers he puts a bullet between their eyes one at a time.

Everything becomes fuzzy as his vision becomes pure white. Suddenly he’s in a field looking up as a helicopter lowers to the ground. Next to him are a group of soldiers and a prisoner with a sack over their head. As the helicopter lands a man in full military uniform jumps out and greets him as “captain”.

His mind becomes hazy as things shift once again. An intense ringing obstructs his hearing as his hazy vision shifts. Only able make out bits and pieces of what the voices are saying, he bounces around between various scenes. One moment he’s in battle, the next in a chopper. Other times he’s in a house.

Things finally stop changing as he settles in a maximum security prison. An inexplicable anger and feelings of betrayal surge within his heart as he stares through the bars of his cell.

With chains on his feet and wrists he’s escorted by ten armed guards as he makes his way through the hallway. A buzz sounds out as the door in front of him is unlocked. Walking into the next room he arrives in the visitation room. A little eight year old girl with brown hair and eyes sits at a table. When he enters a wide smile blooms on her face as she rushes forth and leaps into his chest.

As she opens her mouth all sound disappears from the world. The surroundings get increasingly darker until he’s left in a pitch black void. He feels as if he’s falling as he speeds toward a white speck in the distance.

Everything becomes bright rapidly as he reaches the white speck. His eyes shoot open as his body jerks to a sitting position. Trying to get his bearings he looks around only to find he’s sitting in his bed in the cave hideout.

‘A dream? No, it felt too real, as if I’d actually experienced it. That sense of betrayal couldn’t have been fake. Memories? But why now of all times? Is it a coincidence or is it another one of that bastards little games? Regardless I can’t let it affect me. If I do I’ll be doing exactly what he wants. Besides, it’s called the past for a reason … More importantly I refuse to let that bastard’s plans go smoothly.’

Shaking his head he pushed the unnecessary thoughts to the back of his mind. Hoping out of bed he prepared to put on his cape and belt like he always does. Remembering how they broke yesterday he’s left at a loss. Without his usual getup he started feeling like he was almost naked.

Rummaging through his bag he finds a pair of pants that are a little too big for him. Ripping the lower part of the legs off, he ends up with a crude pair of shorts. Putting on the shorts he ponders whether he should have the seamstresses make him some new equipment or wait until he makes his trip to the city. Based on his own estimations he should be ready to go by tomorrow so there wouldn’t be much point in having them made, but wearing normal clothes at this point feels almost foreign to him.

Looking back at the bed he gazes at Meredith sleeping while curled up in a ball, the raggedy doll held tightly in her arms. As he stares at her the little girl from his dream overlaps with her. Their striking physical similarities are enough to convince anyone they’re twins. His eyes become gentle as he walks over and tenderly caresses her cheek with the back of his hand.

Realizing what he’s doing his hand freezes. He frowns as he shakes his head trying to get rid of the images. His mood turns somber as he closes his eyes to shut out the overlapping girls. Doing an about face he hastily walks into the hallway before opening his eyes.

He makes his way to the dining hall as his mind wanders. Reaching the sealed entrance of the living quarters he uses earth magic to remove the wall. Just like the outer wall at the entrance he made bars at the top so air could properly flow to and from the area.

Walking through the tunnel he made his way to Sif’s room. Inside, Sif is resting on a bed that has one of the fur blankets he had made yesterday on top of it. Opening her eyes she looks at Jellal before jumping off the bed. Soundlessly she lands beside him as he turns around and starts heading back to his room.

Just from the look he gives Sif is able to understand her role. Climbing onto the bed Sif sidles next to Meredith. Lying on her stomach she closes her eyes and rests while she waits for Meredith to wake up.

Strolling into the prison area Jellal observes his potential workforce. Less than half of the twelve he let out to work yesterday lived to make it back to their cells. Clearing his throat he begins his recruitment.

[Due to various circumstances we were unable to clear up all the corpses yesterday. As such I’ll be taking volunteers once again. I’m not a broken record so I won’t tell you what jobs you’ll be performing or the conditions since I already told you yesterday. Those of you that want to work raise your hands. The rest of you can spend another day rotting away in here.]

To his surprise all the survivors from the day before volunteered to return to work. With the number of people who didn’t return the rest of the captives were hesitant to join in, but three new faces worked up the courage to volunteer.

Jellal unlocked the cells and shackles of the workers. Naturally the usual crew was included in the ones unchained. With no other volunteers he started leading the group toward the dining hall. Evangeline predictably made a b-line for his bed making him want to retort “be more normal”.

Pretending Evangeline is a figment of his imagination he brought the workers to the fork by the entrance. Having them wait there he went to check on the defenses.

Over a dozen corpses were left standing, impaled on the spikes. He found it baffling how miasma could make monsters so stupid that they’d end up skewering themselves on stationary spikes. Before returning to the workers he scanned the area carefully.

Using the flow of mana he could sense everything in a hundred meter radius. At the edge of his range he found a group of two hundred monsters wandering about. Deeming them a non-threat he headed inside to get the workers to move the bodies.

While the group pried the corpses off the spikes Jellal leaned leisurely against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Opening one his eyes he looked over the group before giving them a smirk.

[If you don’t want to drastically increase your workload, the speed it up.]

In the end they managed to drag the last of the bodies inside less than thirty seconds before the horde of monsters crossed in front of the cave. As the monsters passed by Jellal had the workers move the bodies to the grunt living quarters.

When they finished they stood around near the entrance wondering why they weren’t getting to work. A few minutes passed with them doing nothing before Jellal opened the entrance revealing over a dozen fresh bodies.

Being able to foresee that a horde of monsters would pass by caused another layer of mystery to be added to the mysterious talking goblin.

After all the bodies were moved inside Jellal closed up the entrance. Letting them get on with their work he prepared to make his way to his usual training spot only to notice Vincent blatantly following behind him like a lost puppy.

Growing annoyed he stopped before glaring over his shoulder. In his mind Vincent was cursing Kira for pushing the role of messenger onto him. He had no defense when she said he was the most articulate and thus the most reliable to put forth their request. Was he supposed to say he’s a fool that can’t speak properly? Impossible!

[Care to explain why you’re following me when you should be busy taking care of corpses?]

[Well, you see, the thing is … us prisoners have had a discussion and we were thinking. You don’t seem very fond of us, that is to say you would prefer if we were out of your hair rather than stuck in cells for you to take care of, but if we leave we could potentially reveal this place’s location. So we thought if we were to be blindfolded and have our ears plugged we would have no way of knowing where you led us from if you brought us out and let us free. That way you’ll never have to bother with us again.]

[So you want me to let you go? I’ll tell you what. If all those bodies are taken care of by the end of the day, I’ll consider it … work hard]